A known type of electrical terminal applicator includes an applicator ram drivable by a press ram through a working stroke towards, and a return stroke away from, a crimping anvil. The applicator ram has a first crimping die for cooperation with the anvil to crimp a first portion of an electrical terminal onto an exposed end of a conductive core of an insulated electrical wire during each working stroke of the applicator ram. The applicator ram has a second crimping die for cooperation with the anvil to crimp a second portion of the terminal onto the insulation of the electrical wire during each working stroke of the applicator ram. The second crimping die is adjustable axially of the applicator ram. Plate means are mounted for angular adjustment about an axis on, and extending lengthwise of, the applicator ram. The plate means selectively interpose first projections between the press ram and the applicator ram to adjust the shut height of the first and second dies, and selectively interpose second projections between the applicator ram and the second crimping die to independently adjust the shut height of the second die.
In this known terminal applicator, the plate means include two calibrated plates which are independently angularly adjustable manually about the axis of the applicator ram. One of the plates carries the projections for adjusting the shut height of both the first and second dies, and the other plate carries the projections for adjusting the shut height of the second die. Thus, for each position of adjustment of the first die there are a plurality of positions of adjustment of the second die. The plates are held in their desired angular position by detent balls that are received in recesses. An example of this type of known applicator is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,718,160 to Bulanda, dated Jan. 12, 1988.
An applicator is known in the prior art as having three stacked, calibrated discs or rings, each being on the order of 5 mm thick. The upper ring has upwardly directed projections to adjust both the insulation and conductor crimp heights. The lower ring has downwardly directed projections that contact the insulation crimp tooling for addition adjustment thereof independent of the conductor crimp height. The middle ring also has downwardly directed projections that contact that conductor crimp tooling for adjustment thereof independent of the insulation crimp height. The lower ring is generally annular to permit the projections of the middle ring to extend through the plane of the lower ring and contact the conductor crimp tooling. The applicator includes two strikers, an outer one for contacting the projections of the lower ring and the insulation crimp tooling and an inner one for contacting the projections of the middle ring and the conductor crimp tooling.
Another applicator is manufactured by Schaefer Werkzeug und Sondermaschinenbau G.m.b.H. which has a pair of crimp height adjustment rings. At least the bottom ring appears to be tapered in a continuous cam and contact a striker which in turn contacts crimp tooling.
The present invention is directed to improvements in the adjustment plate means which adjust the crimp heights of the two dies in an electrical terminal applicator of the character described above. Specifically, the adjustment plate means of the present invention include two adjusting plates which are continuously or gradually adjustable by employing ramped adjusting surfaces versus the finite number of positions of adjustment afforded by the calibrated plates of the prior art. Not only do the ramped adjusting plates of the invention provide for infinitely more adjusting positions, but the plates are considerably less expensive to manufacture. An adjusting plate can be cast and used practically as fabricated, whereas the projections on the calibrated plates of the prior art must be machined to precise specifications after the plates are cast.